Post-modern Gustavian bed

Needing a new bed to fill in floor space to the enlarged room in the old house, I decided to make one.

Not having much for tools, the bed is made using only a handsaw, chisels, a few clamps for glueing and a carving knive and wood rasps. The pine wood frame was then sanded and stained with a strong-brewed coffee paste then painted with an oil enamel which was wiped off in certain areas for a look of aging.

The nightstand to the left is actually an antique (about 150 years) picked up cheap a few weeks previously. It was already painted.

Mads, once again your knowledge of art styles seems dead on. Having come from the Pacific Northwest of the United States, where there has been a strong Oriental connection since the early 1800’s (actually earlier if you consider they had discovered America 400-500 years before Columbus), I’ve always enjoyed the simplicity of some of their design elements. The headboard utilizes this touch as well as the feet of the bed.

canadianchips….the strong brewed coffee paste was something I had read about in a magazine a few years ago here in Sweden. There is sort of a trend I guess that people like this sort of white-washed antique look… like an old white paint worn through the ages. A lot of new items coming from India sold at a local chain store seems to carry a lot of these items. Anyway about the paste. I couldn’t recall what the recipe was but considered that coffee was a good stain… (try it out on a white t-shirt…LOL )...... I just took some Nestle’s instant coffee and mixed a small batch with hot water (to dissolve it) slowly adding the water while mixing. I wanted it real thick and not so watery as the bed was made from pine which never really takes stains well. I then took a rag and rubbed it in a bit and let it dry. I think I applied maybe three layers letting each dry. Again, the three layers was because the resinous pine doesn’t absorb so much stain. If used on other more porous light-colored woods, it could stain very well, I imagine.

After the third layer had dried I took a clean rag and hand rubbed the wood gently to remove whatever was on the surface. After that had dried well, I brushed on a standard oil-based white enamel paint thinned down. I very lightly wiped off a little of this on corners or edges of some of the wood where one might expect extra wear from use. After this layer had dried, I reapplied another thinned- down layer and again lightly wiped it in just a few areas for the same effect. It seemed to work and it’s held up very well so far after 6 years. I would like to add again, though, if you use the coffee on another type of wood I would probably test a little first as it could stain very well the first time. Some of the wood I’ve seen from India with this white-washed look is actually a darker brown wood so they of course wouldn’t have to stain it first. Not having access to those exotic darker hard woods I went with the cheap local pine and the cheap global Nescafe...LOL